This invention relates to improved materials for use in fabricating articles used in close contact with the human body such as impact-absorbing pads, innersoles, casts and splints, and other articles which are exposed to body perspiration. More particularly, the invention relates to a laminate-like material having a surface conforming to the contours of a selected region of the body which wicks perspiration or other moisture away from the body.
In the application of which this is a continuation-in-part, a laminate including an odor absorbing layer was disclosed. The invention disclosed herein does not include an odor absorbing layer but rather relies on overlapping hydrophobic and hydrophilic fibers, needled into a middle foam layer from opposite sides, to wick away perspiration and other moisture.
It has long been a goal to provide various products used on the body with the capacity to minimize the undesirable effects of body perspiration, moisture and associated odor. Clothing and shoes, for example, often include design features, fabrics, and materials directed to dispersing uncomfortable moisture from body surfaces. Polypropylene and other synthetic, hydrophobic fabrics are currently used in undergarments designed for wear during athletic activity because such fabrics are good insulators and wick perspiration away from the body.
There have been efforts to use the effects of hydrophobic fibers and hydrophilic fibers in materials applied to the body, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,442 and German Pat. No. 2,651,089. However, none of these deal with the peculiar problems of molding structures that have a closed-cell foamed plastic layer, and, generally, the laminates shown can be improved greatly in their capacities for dispersing perspiration.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a light-weight material that is sturdy, has enhanced moisture-wicking qualities, and is comfortable when maintained in direct contact with the human body. Another object is to provide a material which may be molded to form products for use on the body, such as shoe insoles, casts, impact absorbing pads, and similar products.